1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for performing digital recordings, and more particularly, to a digital recording apparatus and a method for controlling a digital recording apparatus that enables users to create improved video recordings and also conserves memory space of the apparatus.
2. Background Information
Personal video recorders (PVRs) are digital recording apparatuses that provide various features such as allowing a user to select for recording, by means of a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on an associated television set, monitor, or other display device, a television program to be broadcast at a future time or which is currently being broadcast. Such apparatuses digitally record the selected program onto a storage module, such as a hard disk, and upon user command playback the stored program by retrieving it from storage, decompressing or decoding the program and outputting the video signal to an associated television set, monitor, or other display device. Apparatuses having such capabilities are currently sold under trade names such as “TiVo,” “RePlayTV,” “Sky+,” and “Showstopper.”
Such devices offer features and advantages in controlling the recording and playback of programs that were previously not available to the consumer via analog recording devices. The features include the ability to pause a live program on the screen while continuing to record the program onto a storage device such that the user can continue playback of the program at their convenience without missing any portion of the currently broadcast program, and also simultaneously recording and playing back, either the same program or different programs, thereby providing great flexibility in recording and playing back the received video signals. Since the programs are digitally stored and processed, the devices also allow the user to have greater control of the playback, for example, instantly skipping ahead by the predetermined amount of time. Such devices also generally are designed to work with a program guide that allows the user to easily see, in a grid format, program schedules, and to select a particular program for recording. The devices may also include input terminals for connecting playback devices, such as a camcorder, to the PVR to digitally record the contents of the devices onto the PVR for later playback.
However, with current digital recording apparatuses, if a user presses a “STOP” key during a recording operation, the recording operation is stopped and the recorded video content is stored as a single recording. Thereafter, if the user presses a “RECORD” key to resume recording, a new recording will be created, but it will be considered unrelated to the previous recording. That is, the new recording will be created as an independent recording that is separate and distinct from the previous recording (e.g., having a different name or title). For example, if the user stops the recording during the middle of a selected program that is chosen from a program guide, and then restarts the recording at some later time in the program, for example after a commercial break, the recordings may be listed by the PVR as two separate programs, even though they are of the same program. This may also be problematic in cases where the user wants to create a single recording based on a recording stored on a separate device, for example a camcorder, by editing out unwanted portions of the recording. Therefore, this functionality may be disadvantageous since it prevents users from creating a single continuous recording.
Also with current digital recording apparatuses, if a user presses a “PAUSE” key during a recording operation, the recording continues and a time-shifting function is performed during playback. That is, during playback the recording apparatus shifts in time over the video content that occurs after depression of the “PAUSE” key, but it still records this video content. Accordingly, this functionality may also be disadvantageous since it fails to remove the unwanted portions of the programs and fails to conserve memory space. In particular, the user must perform an editing process after the entire recording has been saved to memory in order to eliminate any unwanted video content. As a result, the recording apparatus must utilize valuable memory space until any unwanted video content is erased through editing.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method for controlling a digital recording apparatus that avoids the aforementioned problems, and thereby enables users to create improved video recordings and also conserves memory space of the recording apparatus.